---
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: hybrid
_id: '22529'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Mountainous catchments cover a broad range of elevations and their response
to a warming climate is expected to vary significantly in space. Nevertheless,
studies on climate change impacts typically examine the changes in flow statistics
only at the catchment outlet. In this study, we instead demonstrate the high variability
of the hydrological response to climate change at the sub-catchment scale, investigating
in detail the contribution of all components of the hydrological cycle in two
mountainous catchments (Thur and Kleine Emme) in the Swiss Alps. The analysis
was conducted with a two-dimensional weather generator model that simulated gridded
climate variables at an hourly and 2-km resolution until the end of the 21st century
for the RCP8.5 emission scenario. The climate ensemble was used as input into
a distributed hydrological model to estimate the changes in hydrological processes
at 100-m and hourly resolutions. Climate models show that precipitation intensifies
during winter but weakens during summer in the order of ± 5–10% toward the end
of the century. Temperature will rise by up to 4°C, leading to a 50% reduction
in snowmelt, 10% increase in evapotranspiration, and shift in precipitation type
from snowfall to rainfall. As a result, streamflow is projected to increase by
40% in winter but decrease by 20% to 40% during summer, with winter floods becoming
more frequent. The changes to streamflow (mean and extreme low and high flows)
at the sub-catchments show a strong dependency with elevation. In contrast to
the small changes projected at the outlet of the catchments, streamflow shows
a reduction at higher elevations (up to −20% change in mean streamflow for sub-catchments
at elevations exceeding 1400 m) and an increase at lower elevations (up to +5%
for Kleine Emme and +20% for the Thur at elevations below 600 m). These impacts
are tied to the changes in precipitation, as well as changes in snowmelt (at high
elevation) and evapotranspiration (at low elevation). The results reveal the causes
and diversity of hydrological response to climate change, emphasizing the importance
of investigating the distributed impacts of climate change in mountainous environments.
article_number: '126806'
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Jorge Sebastián
full_name: Moraga, Jorge Sebastián
last_name: Moraga
- first_name: Nadav
full_name: Peleg, Nadav
last_name: Peleg
- first_name: Simone
full_name: Fatichi, Simone
id: cf8e546b-a9b0-11f0-a43b-aa89ed1b56d6
last_name: Fatichi
- first_name: Peter
full_name: Molnar, Peter
last_name: Molnar
- first_name: Paolo
full_name: Burlando, Paolo
last_name: Burlando
citation:
ama: Moraga JS, Peleg N, Fatichi S, Molnar P, Burlando P. Revealing the impacts
of climate change on mountainous catchments through high-resolution modelling.
Journal of Hydrology. 2021;603. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.126806
apa: Moraga, J. S., Peleg, N., Fatichi, S., Molnar, P., & Burlando, P. (2021).
Revealing the impacts of climate change on mountainous catchments through high-resolution
modelling. Journal of Hydrology. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.126806
chicago: Moraga, Jorge Sebastián, Nadav Peleg, Simone Fatichi, Peter Molnar, and
Paolo Burlando. “Revealing the Impacts of Climate Change on Mountainous Catchments
through High-Resolution Modelling.” Journal of Hydrology. Elsevier, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.126806.
ieee: J. S. Moraga, N. Peleg, S. Fatichi, P. Molnar, and P. Burlando, “Revealing
the impacts of climate change on mountainous catchments through high-resolution
modelling,” Journal of Hydrology, vol. 603. Elsevier, 2021.
ista: Moraga JS, Peleg N, Fatichi S, Molnar P, Burlando P. 2021. Revealing the impacts
of climate change on mountainous catchments through high-resolution modelling.
Journal of Hydrology. 603, 126806.
mla: Moraga, Jorge Sebastián, et al. “Revealing the Impacts of Climate Change on
Mountainous Catchments through High-Resolution Modelling.” Journal of Hydrology,
vol. 603, 126806, Elsevier, 2021, doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.126806.
short: J.S. Moraga, N. Peleg, S. Fatichi, P. Molnar, P. Burlando, Journal of Hydrology
603 (2021).
das_tickbox: '1'
date_created: 2026-07-27T12:30:24Z
date_published: 2021-12-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-08-06T14:31:25Z
day: '01'
doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.126806
extern: '1'
intvolume: ' 603'
keyword:
- Catchment modelling
- Climate change impacts
- Weather generator
- Distributed hydrological model
- Streamflow extremes
- Hydrological response
language:
- iso: eng
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
url: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.126806
month: '12'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
publication: Journal of Hydrology
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 1879-2707
issn:
- 0022-1694
publication_status: published
publisher: Elsevier
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Revealing the impacts of climate change on mountainous catchments through high-resolution
modelling
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by_nc_nd.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
(CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
short: CC BY-NC-ND (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: ba8df636-2132-11f1-aed0-ed93e2281fdd
volume: 603
year: '2021'
...
---
OA_type: closed access
_id: '22545'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Climate change represents a major increase in uncertainty that water managers
and policy makers will need to integrate into water resources policy and management.
A certain level of uncertainty has always existed in water resources planning,
but the speed and intensity of changes in baseline conditions that climate change
embodies might require a shift in perspective. This article draws on both the
social and physical science results of the EU-FP7 ACQWA project to better understand
the challenges and opportunities for adaptation to climate change impacts on the
hydrology of the upper Rhone basin in the Canton Valais, Switzerland. It first
presents the results of hydro-climatic change projections downscaled to more temporally
and spatially-relevant frames of reference for decision makers. Then, it analyses
the current policy and legislative framework within which these changes will take
place, according to the policy coherence across different water-relevant frameworks
as well as the integration and mainstreaming of climate change. It compares the
current policy and legislative frameworks for different aspects of water resources
management to the projected impacts of climate change on the hydrology of the
upper Rhone basin, in order to examine the appropriateness of the current approach
for responding to a changing climatic context. Significant uncertainties pose
numerous challenges in the governance context. The study draws on adaptive governance
principles, to propose policy actions across different scales of governance to
better manage baseline variability as well as more ‘unpredictable’ uncertainty
from climate change impacts.
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Margot Hill
full_name: Clarvis, Margot Hill
last_name: Clarvis
- first_name: Simone
full_name: Fatichi, Simone
id: cf8e546b-a9b0-11f0-a43b-aa89ed1b56d6
last_name: Fatichi
- first_name: Andrew
full_name: Allan, Andrew
last_name: Allan
- first_name: Jürg
full_name: Fuhrer, Jürg
last_name: Fuhrer
- first_name: Markus
full_name: Stoffel, Markus
last_name: Stoffel
- first_name: Franco
full_name: Romerio, Franco
last_name: Romerio
- first_name: Ludovic
full_name: Gaudard, Ludovic
last_name: Gaudard
- first_name: Paolo
full_name: Burlando, Paolo
last_name: Burlando
- first_name: Martin
full_name: Beniston, Martin
last_name: Beniston
- first_name: Elena
full_name: Xoplaki, Elena
last_name: Xoplaki
- first_name: Andrea
full_name: Toreti, Andrea
last_name: Toreti
citation:
ama: 'Clarvis MH, Fatichi S, Allan A, et al. Governing and managing water resources
under changing hydro-climatic contexts: The case of the upper Rhone basin. Environmental
Science & Policy. 2014;43:56-67. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2013.11.005'
apa: 'Clarvis, M. H., Fatichi, S., Allan, A., Fuhrer, J., Stoffel, M., Romerio,
F., … Toreti, A. (2014). Governing and managing water resources under changing
hydro-climatic contexts: The case of the upper Rhone basin. Environmental Science
& Policy. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2013.11.005'
chicago: 'Clarvis, Margot Hill, Simone Fatichi, Andrew Allan, Jürg Fuhrer, Markus
Stoffel, Franco Romerio, Ludovic Gaudard, et al. “Governing and Managing Water
Resources under Changing Hydro-Climatic Contexts: The Case of the Upper Rhone
Basin.” Environmental Science & Policy. Elsevier, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2013.11.005.'
ieee: 'M. H. Clarvis et al., “Governing and managing water resources under
changing hydro-climatic contexts: The case of the upper Rhone basin,” Environmental
Science & Policy, vol. 43. Elsevier, pp. 56–67, 2014.'
ista: 'Clarvis MH, Fatichi S, Allan A, Fuhrer J, Stoffel M, Romerio F, Gaudard L,
Burlando P, Beniston M, Xoplaki E, Toreti A. 2014. Governing and managing water
resources under changing hydro-climatic contexts: The case of the upper Rhone
basin. Environmental Science & Policy. 43, 56–67.'
mla: 'Clarvis, Margot Hill, et al. “Governing and Managing Water Resources under
Changing Hydro-Climatic Contexts: The Case of the Upper Rhone Basin.” Environmental
Science & Policy, vol. 43, Elsevier, 2014, pp. 56–67, doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2013.11.005.'
short: M.H. Clarvis, S. Fatichi, A. Allan, J. Fuhrer, M. Stoffel, F. Romerio, L.
Gaudard, P. Burlando, M. Beniston, E. Xoplaki, A. Toreti, Environmental Science
& Policy 43 (2014) 56–67.
das_tickbox: '1'
date_created: 2026-07-27T12:30:24Z
date_published: 2014-11-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-08-06T08:21:08Z
day: '01'
doi: 10.1016/j.envsci.2013.11.005
extern: '1'
intvolume: ' 43'
keyword:
- Climate change impacts
- Adaptation
- Water governance
- Water management
- Rhone basin
- Switzerland
language:
- iso: eng
month: '11'
oa_version: None
page: 56-67
publication: Environmental Science & Policy
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 1873-6416
issn:
- 1462-9011
publication_status: published
publisher: Elsevier
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: 'Governing and managing water resources under changing hydro-climatic contexts:
The case of the upper Rhone basin'
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 43
year: '2014'
...